News

$15K GRANT WILL ORGANIZE INSTITUTIONAL ARCHIVES

Monday, August 5th, 2019

BUFFALO, NY -- The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation (TR Site) has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the East Hill Foundation. The funding will create a temporary archivist position to catalogue and organize the records documenting the history of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site. The papers span the years 1962-2018, and chronicle the TR Site’s development from its early days as a product of one of the first community-based, grassroots historic preservation efforts in WNY to its current place on TripAdvisor’s list of “BEST Things to Do in Buffalo.”

“The arrangement and description of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation papers will allow the TR Site to gain intellectual control over its institutional history while encouraging internal and external researchers to explore the museum's history,” says Lenora Henson, Deputy Director/Curator. “The letters, photographs, blueprints, agreements, minutes, reports, publications, and other documents in our archives are an untapped resource, and we are grateful to the East Hill Foundation for enabling us to make those records more accessible.”

“With the 50th anniversary of the TR Site's opening to the public coming up in 2021, this project provides us an exciting opportunity to reflect on our own history and to celebrate the individuals from our community who worked so hard to preserve the TR Site for future generations,” says Executive Director Stanton Hudson.

The East Hill Foundation identifies and funds innovative, charitable projects designed to enhance the quality of life of residents of Western New York, primarily Erie and Niagara counties. Additionally, this Family Foundation teaches stewardship to the founders’ family members by supporting their projects irrespective of where they live.

The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, Western New York’s only National Park Service facility, preserves the Buffalo, NY, home where Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States. Opened to the public on September 14, 1971 and managed by a volunteer board of trustees who comprise the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation, the Site promotes opportunities for the public to understand the historic events surrounding the inauguration; and fosters discussion of Roosevelt, his presidency, and his legacy. Supported in part by the National Park Service and donations from various public/private funders, the Site receives general operating support from Erie County, as well as the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site is operated by the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation, a registered non-profit organization, through a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.